Come celebrate an early Silent Movie Day with the Invincible Czars, the acclaimed silent film soundtrack ensemble, accompanying Robert Wiene’s highly stylized 1920 German horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at The Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City.
Remarkable in many ways, the film’s disorienting sets, heavy makeup, and overall treatment make it the classic example of German Expressionism. It was also made in a rare open window: film censorship in Germany had been abolished in November 1918 and would not be reinstated until May 1920, so Caligari was written, shot, and released during the only period in German history when filmmakers faced no state restrictions. Screenwriters Carl Mayer (Austrian) and Hans Janowitz (born in Prague) used that freedom for a deliberate attack on authority — the state as hypnotist, the citizen as a sleepwalker made to kill. Filming took place in the winter of 1919–20, in the first months of the Weimar Republic, the democratic German state that would stand until Hitler’s rise in 1933.
The film’s innovations include one of the earliest known examples of situational typography interacting with a scene through visual effects — hand-lettered words erupting across the landscape via stop-motion animation — and an early, enormously influential instance of staging violence as shadow, the compositional template horror still uses. (Remember the shower scene in Psycho?)
Audiences may remember The Invincible Czars from their 2025 Onyx Downtown screening of Phantom of the Opera, which played to a full house. Their return promises another unforgettable night where silent film, dramatic enactment, and live music combine for an experience unlike any other. As with Phantom, the ensemble will feature a Foley artist providing a wide range of live sound effects.
Formed in Austin, Texas, The Invincible Czars have been reinventing the silent film experience since 2003. This is their third performance at the Nevada Theatre. The band notes that Caligari‘s craggy edges, disjointed backgrounds, and heavy makeup have inspired filmmakers such as Tim Burton and musician David Bowie, and that its twist ending is widely considered the first in cinematic history — a device Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone would later make its own.
“We strive to create soundtracks that give modern-day audiences a context to appreciate these 100-year-old movies,” said Josh Robins, Invincible Czars founder and bandleader. The band encourages attendees to dress for the Halloween season — even when it isn’t Halloween season.
Audiences in Nevada City will have a rare opportunity to experience one of the earliest horror films, with its astonishing sets and still-timely social commentary, in a way that bridges past and present: on the big screen, in the Nevada Theatre, built in 1865, accompanied by a modern live score and inventive live Foley throughout.
Tickets are available now and are expected to sell quickly for this early Silent Movie Day celebration. The film is co-presented by The Onyx Theatre and the Nevada City Film Festival.
KNOW & GO
WHAT: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with live score by The Invincible Czars
WHERE: The Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City
DATE: Sunday, September 6, 2026
TIME: Doors 6:30 p.m. | Show 7 p.m.
COST: $20 advance | $25 at the door
TICKETS: https://tinyurl.com/5et5cy2e